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Review
. 2023 Sep 29;13(10):1994.
doi: 10.3390/life13101994.

Exploring the Novel Dimension of Immune Interactions in Pain: JAK Inhibitors' Pleiotropic Potential

Krasimir Kraev  1   2 , Mariela Geneva-Popova  1   2 , Bozhidar Hristov  3   4 , Petar Uchikov  5   6 , Stanislava Popova  1   2 , Maria Kraeva  7 , Yordanka Basheva-Kraeva  8 , Ivan Sheytanov  9 , Tzvetanka Petranova  9 , Nina Stoyanova  8 , Marin Atanassov  8
Affiliations
Review

Exploring the Novel Dimension of Immune Interactions in Pain: JAK Inhibitors' Pleiotropic Potential

Krasimir Kraev et al. Life (Basel). .

Abstract

This review explores the link between immune interactions and chronic pain, offering new perspectives on treatment. It focuses on Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors' potential in pain management. Immune cells' communication with neurons shapes neuroinflammatory responses, and JAK inhibitors' effects on pain pathways are discussed, including cytokine suppression and microglial modulation. This review integrates studies from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) pain and central sensitization to highlight connections between immune interactions and pain. Studies on RA joint pain reveal the shift from cytokines to sensitization. Neurobiological investigations into central sensitization uncover shared pathways in chronic pain. Clinical evidence supports JAK inhibitors' efficacy on pain-related outcomes and their effects on neurons and immune cells. Challenges and future directions are outlined, including interdisciplinary collaboration and dosing optimization. Overall, this review highlights JAK inhibitors' potential to target immune-mediated pain pathways, underscoring the need for more research on immune-pain connections.

Keywords: JAK inhibitors; neurobiology of pain.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Cytokines and RA pain by Simon, L.S. et al. (2021). The JAK/STAT Pathway: A Focus on Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism [46].
Figure 2
Figure 2
The JAK/STAT signaling pathway; K. Bechman et al. The new entries in the therapeutic armamentarium: The small molecule JAK inhibitors, Pharmacological Research, Volume 147, 2019, 104392, ISSN 1043-6618, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2019.104392 [47].
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cytokine signaling through JAK/STAT pathway; K. Bechman et al. The new entries in the therapeutic armamentarium: The small molecule JAK inhibitors, Pharmacological Research, Volume 147, 2019, 104392, ISSN 1043-6618, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phrs.2019.104392 [47].
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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